Giving In - My Father's Son Chapter
by MageKalize
Summary: James Potter gives in with a little help from a "friend"? Chapter 2 of "My Father's Son" Incest/read authro note to make sense of this story.
1. Giving In

**Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.**

Hello Everyone! I just wanted to let everyone know that No I am not dead. Now in regards to this story this is actually chapter no. 2, but because of rating issues chapter one cannot be posted here. This actually doesn't spoil anything just hints at things to come. If you want to read the MA chapter head over to hpfandom or ao3 and look for my screen name MageKalize. Some notes on this story:

1\. I don't have a timeline for this story because it was meant to be a one shot fest piece so it may be days/weeks/months/years before an update occurs again.

2\. I'm sorry in advance for the wait.  
3\. Again, my muse just wanted to play around in this story.  
4\. OH! No beta so all mistakes are mine.

~~~Previously~~~

I made to get up but two things stopped me- One, the ache on and most importantly _in_ my backside and two, Teppy my personal house elf. She popped in as soon as my feet touched the black carpet and handed me a note. This was bad. Usually written notes between my father and I only happened when he was extremely upset with me.

I looked at the scrawled 'Harry' on the front of the note one last time before opening it and reading with trepidation.

_Harry,_

_I hope you are feeling well. I know I might have gone overboard in the playroom, but it was warranted and you know it. There are healing potions by your bed if you need them and Teppy has been charged with your care if you still do not feel up to par. Now, please excuse my cowardice in using a letter to say what I feel must be said._

_Last night was exactly what I said, a punishment. I gratified you by way of my toys and my hand for my own personal pleasure, but you shall no longer receive release by my body. I know you were expecting me to take you, but I meant it when I told you that our liaisons had come to an end when I spoke to you at the beginning of the school year. Last night was a farewell to said liaisons._

_With that said, any more 'acting up' will be dealt with by an indefinite magic block and house elf duties. Do not disappoint me again._

_Yours,_

_Father_

I crumpled the note in my hand and threw it across the room towards the fireplace, but it fell a few feet short. He was really putting an end to this, to us. I could not-would not let it happen. I made to get up again, but the pain held me to the bed.

"Damn it!" I punched the pillow. Teppy popped in once again.

"Is Master Harry needing anything?" I was going to tell her to scram, but then I asked her to return the note I had tossed across the room. She brought it to me and left at my wave. 'Please excuse my cowardice' now I wonder why he was too cowardly to sit down and tell me this face to face. After all admitting to cowardice and being a Gryffindor was simply just not done.

Maybe I can change his mind. Maybe I just need to try a bit harder. I downed the healing and pain potions on my bedside table and waited for them to kick in, a plan forming already.

Stubbornness, after all, runs in the family. Maybe I can be my father's son.

~~~JP/HP~~~

James paced the length of the drawing room and back. He was running of adrenaline from the day before and had barely slept. Between lasvascious dreams of making Harry his and nightmares where Harry laughs and derides James for his disgusting fantasies, his night had been less than pleasant. Upon waking for the third time in as many hours, he decided to get up for the day and take a flight around the manor grounds. Ten minutes in, he grew frustrated and decided 8am was late enough to bother his pretentious friend and let off some tension.

The aristocratic arse didn't even have the decency to look bothered when he walked into the drawing room to see James Potter making a hole in his rug. He simply poured a glass of brandy for himself and at James' demand a firewisky that he then ignored in favor of pacing.

Before either wizard could say a word, Teppy popped in to report that Harry had awoken and had read the missive. Teppy gave a brief summary of Harry's response since he had been shoo'ed away. Harry's reaction had not been encouraging. James knew his son well and if Harry had raged or even if he had sulked or Merlin forbid it cried James would have somewhere to begin his defense. As it stood now as a quiet and introspective wizard, his son was not a known quantity.

"Are you quite finished ruining the rug?" The aristocratic drawl made James snap out of his thoughts and pause in his step. He sat down as calm as possible on an overly ornate chair and deflated.

"James were you really expecting a normal reaction or worse yet a Gryffindor one out of Harry?" The humor underlaying the question made James scowl and direct a glare at his amused companion.

"I know what I hoped would be his reaction" he snapped. A deprecating laugh from across the room answered his words.

"Just who do you think you are fooling? You yourself don't know what reaction you were hoping for!" A set of calculating eyes studied James' despondent form across from him.

"Better yet," murmured the silky voice "you know exactly what reaction you wanted and now that you have gotten it are too frightened to accept it." The silence that followed was answer enough.

"Tell me James why do you fight tradition? Is there some inherent Gryffindor trait that forces you to do the exact opposite of what is expected? Does it thrill you to constantly go against the tide? What exactly do you get out of it? What have you gotten out of it so far? You as an only child, a deceased wife, a ratty trio of hang-abouts that are not fit as footmen much less polite company!"

"Here now! -"

"Oh don't start this "friend" business. If that were true they would be here advising you as I do or better yet _you_ would have gone to _them_ for theiradvise and not _here_ for _mine_!" An air of satisfaction punctuated his remark. _There_, it said, _my point has been made_!

"You're right" James murmured gaze lost.

"Excuse me! Would you care to repeat that?" The incredulous voice was high in his surprise.

"You have perfect hearing! Now that I am listening to you do me the courtesy of listening to me." James huffed but had the decency to look chagrinned at his request.

"But that is all I have been doing. By Merlin has the sound finally penetrated that thick skull?" His voice had risen for a moment but calmed with James' admission.

"Fine then tell me what should I do? You in your infinite wisdom must have some cunning plan for me!" James tried to temper his sarcastic tone, but he was beyond caring now that his fatigue began to catch up with him.

"No." What?! James thought.

"What?!" This time James said it out loud. "What do you mean 'no'? You are always giving me advice, unwarranted might I add, and now when it is warranted you say 'no'!" James was up and pacing once more, but at the sight of his hosts' disapproving scowl sat back down.

"I say 'no' because I've already given all the advise I could possibly give. However, since it is obvious that you did not pay one whit of attention I will repeat it for you. Now are you listening?" He taunted.

"Yes, get on with it!"

"Obviously Harry didn't believe a word you wrote." When James made to interrupt a hand went up to forestall his exclamation.

"James, Harry is a Slytherin NOT a Gryffindor. He obviously noticed a weakness, which is probably why he asked Teppy for the missive back. He is planning something. Most likely he is trying to find his way back to your bed despite your warning." Letting out a deep sigh the wizard continued.

"In this instance your being a - _Gryffindor_ is a help and not a hindrance." He grimaced when he realized he attributed the word help with Gryffindor.

"You can simply or elaborately which knowing you it will be the later, explain your views on the matter, why you set out the way you did and why you are now rescinding your last order." He waved his hand flippantly as he took a drink from his forgotten brandy.

"Had you been a Slytherin much more intricate maneuvering would have been necessary."

"You realize that once Harry and I go through this the pool of mate prospects will have shrunk to minuscule proportions which is the main reason I decided to forgo the tradition in the first place."

"Your prudishness and sense of morality more like and the shame of wanting your own flesh are reason number one. No, the prospects as you so eloquently put it will be exactly the right size." This part he had been trying to get James to understand for years! Since now James was receptive to his words he spoke them again and with as much conviction as he could.

"Think James! If Harry wants to do this then don't you think that any likely match would also have to have the same proclivities? If they did not then I'll bet the manor that Harry wouldn't even glance at them." His satisfaction was dripping from every pore, James noticed. He sat and let the information sink in for a moment.

Inhaling a fortifying breath of air, James roused himself from the chair, drank the glass of firewisky he had requested when he had stormed into the drawing room and nodded in acquiescence.

"You are correct Lucius. As always thank you for your hospitality. I'll be on my way." The air of amusement was back and Lucius simply inclined his head in acknowledgement. When James was out the door, the blonde's chuckle followed him out.

"My pleasure indeed."

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Once again I will probably update again because my muse is liking this world, but it may not be here because of the rating issue. See top note for location of full story.


	2. Decisions and Revelations

_**Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.**_

**Quick AN:** Longer AN at the end as well as an idea for you guys to chime in on. Additionally this story may have developed a plot. Huh. Well yes I won't keep you guys waiting.

Once again comments, questions, suggestions are always welcome. Like my other stories, this work is unbeta'd. All errors are my own.

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**~~~Previously~~~**

_**"You are correct Lucius. As always thank you for your hospitality. I'll be on my way." The air of amusement was back and Lucius simply inclined his head in acknowledgement. When James was out the door, the blonde's chuckle followed him out. **_

_**"My pleasure indeed."**_

~~~Chapter 3~~~

Harry was debating wether to risk moving before the pain potions' recommended time was up when Teppy popped in and announced "Master Draco Malfoy calling!" then popped out as Draco walked into the bedroom.

"What brings The Malfoy scion to my room during this festive holiday season and so early too? I didn't know you knew what anything before 10 am was." Harry smirked at the roll of eyes the prim and proper Malfoy heir gave as he flopped on Harry's bed.

"I still would not know what it meant if your father had any decency whatsoever!" Harry's eyes widened and eyebrows rose at that. He was silent otherwise much to Draco's annoyance.

"Can we not dispense of politics during the holidays? I'd like to know whether Theìos caved." Draco had gotten in the habit of calling James Potter 'Uncle' in Greek since the Malfoy's had run into the Potters during the holidays in Greece a few years back. A waitress at a cafe had commented on such 'beautiful family on vacation (cousins no?)'. James' profuse denial had Draco asking, "Why do you deny me uncle?" And the joke had stuck since just to irritate the elder Gryffindor.

"I'm of two minds" Harry tossed Draco the missive and waited.

"Bloody Gryffindor! You have him Harry he knows you do else he would have come himself! And what is this? A Gryffindor announcing his cowardice! Unheard of!" Draco was practically cackling. The fact that Harry suspected the same made it all the more gleeful for the blonde. The plan had been Draco's idea to begin with.

When Draco dragged out the reason behind Harry's foul mood on the train back to school he had come up with a plan to get the Potter head to finally succum to his son. When subtle misbehavior was ignored or written off as "teenage antics" by either the teachers or James Potter Harry had had enough. Harry began to be as viscous as any Slytherin could with as much Gryffindor idiocy and foolishness as possible. The final straw was when Harry purposefully defaced his own fathers Quidditch plaques and trophies in the trophy room at school.

Harry had saved that last trick for just before the holidays. If that didn't work in getting his fathers attention then nothing else would. Harry was expecting his father to go barmy and shout at him then demand what he was thinking at which point Harry would deliver his message: Continue with the Sangpur tradition or else Harry would continue to act out. Not a perfect or foolproof plan especially when dealing with Gryffindors. They were unpredictable and one never knew which route they would decide to take. Desperate times called for desperate measures and with Harry it was doubly so. When he got desperate his Gryffindor blood began to bubble up to the surface and smothered his Slytherin if only momentarily but just enough to cause havoc.

No one expected James Potter to reply in a most Slytherin fashion. Harry expected shouting when he got to the headmasters office instead he heard his father sigh and saw the end of his father wand before he was out until he came too hanging in the nude in the playroom.

Harry should have known that his father had some kind of Slytherin in him after all Harry himself ended up in Slytherin. In hindsight, he should have expected what he got instead of being over confident. Now it seemed that James Potter was going to give Harry what he wanted and Harry was looking forward it.

~~~MFS~~~

"James!" Remus exclaimed at his old friends worn visage. It had been a while since the last time the Potter head had come calling so early and by his appearance it was not a social call never mind the time.

"Remus" James walked in at Remus' urging and followed him to the kitchen where tea was a guarantee.

"So what has Harry done this time?" Remus knew the Potter duo well and James almost exclusively went to Remus and Sirius when Harry was being especially hard to deal with. According to Sirius, it was mostly when Harry was being a Slytherin that they saw James anymore.

"The usual- mischief and mayhem." James took the proffered cup of tea but only played with the cup on the saucer.

"No the reason I am here is because I wanted to tell you before you found out from anyone else," Remus shot James a lot and mentally exchanged 'anyone' with Malfoy or Snape "that I've decided to go ahead and invoke Sangpur." James avoided eye contact as Remus choked on his tea across the table.

"James!" Remus was scandalized as James knew and feared he would be. Fortunately, Sirius was not present, more than likely still sleeping of his latest escapade into the muggle world of booze and women. This at least meant that James would only have to face one friend at a time even if it was the one he had been dreading facing the most. Both Sirius and Remus had been behind him 100% when he had declared to not follow the Sangpur tradition when Harry came of age. That the father would teach his son about carnal pleasures during his adolescent years was expected, but the invocation of the tradition at 17 was optional - to the more forward thinking families - and a duty to the more traditional families. The more forward thinking families were mostly 50/50 when it came to magical and muggle/squib children so they were more lax on the tradition. They also usually frowned upon incest in any form and had their children couple for "love" even if it meant a squib/muggle/only child.

The Potters had been traditional until James' grandfather Gerald Potter eschewed the tradition calling it "unclean." No one knew why but it was suspected that Gerald may have been too in love with his son Edwin and wanted no part of the torture the Sangpur tradition would bring. After all it was frowned upon to continue after the son/grandson was born. Edwin Potter, James father, decided to forgo the tradition when he and his wife Penelope had trouble conceiving. James was born miraculously late in the Potters' lives and Edwin saw the tradition as being James' choice since Edwin did not want to risk Penelope for another child. James would receive no additional benefit for having gone through it other than a sibling that James would also be the father of. Upon conferring with James, Edwin found that his son was in love and wanted to marry out of school so James also decided to forgo Sangpur. Edwin warned James and Lilly about Lilly's chances of surviving since she was not a pureblood but the couple believed Lilly was strong enough to carry a magical child to term and survive so Edwin gave his blessing despite his misgivings and let them marry.

James had no passed down qualms about the tradition from his father or mother but his friendship with Sirius, whose family took the tradition too far by breeding further within the siblings and Remus, whose family was strictly against it due to his muggle mother gave James enough pause as to deny Harry. James knew Sirius and Remus would disapprove but he hoped they would still call him friend hence his current predicament. He knew if he didn't come straight to them Lucius would send an owl directly with the news just to antagonize them.

The pair of Gryffindors couldn't understand how James was able to cultivate a friendship with the Slytherins. For James Harry easily explained the quasi-friendship. His son's friendship with the Malfoy scion put to bed most of James' more vitriolic tirades as "Because I say so" or "because!" Did not cut it with a Slytherin child whose favorite question was "why?" thus the tenuous parent camaraderie grew.

Snape was a family friend of the Malfoy's and as such took great pleasure in being present at the manor when James was due to drop-off or pick-up Harry from a play date. The slightly scathing encounters became entertaining and thus Severus Snape was now a "friendly" acquaintance.

"It - who - James, why?" Had this not been a serious topic James would have made fun of Remus' loss for words. This time however he knew the seriousness of the conversation and decided to explain.

"Remus beside the fact that Harry wants it-"

"Of course he's going to want it he is a hormonal teenager James!"

"Please Remus that fact has not escaped me." James looked worn out but continued.

"If I do this then it also means that I can move on with my life and not have to worry about being single, marrying a pureblood, or becoming a widow for the second time." Remus' gaze softened a bit but still his disapproval was palpable.

"James did you ever think that if you do go on with this the partners available to you may only be purebloods? I don't know many half blood or muggle born women who agree with this tradition and would be fine marrying into a family where one of her stepsons would also be her "son-in-law" and another of her stepsons a step grandson."

James looked down into his cooling cup of tea and took a deep breath.

"I'm not looking for a woman for a partner Moony." To say that was a shock would be like saying lycanthropy was a simple flu that can be cured by medication.

"James..." Remus was speechless. Not many same sex couples were permitted in their world but what James was proposing was the most legitimate way to go about it. It was not done often because not many half blood or muggle borns were willing to marry into a family where they were essentially a broodmare and then sent to die. To try to go about this secretly was frowned upon and ultimately transparent, as the husband would have little to no warm regard for their future "wife". To legitimately pull this off would mean that the husband was truly bisexual, sexually experimenting, or having some kind of life crisis. Remus could not see James as anything other than heterosexual if his love and devotion for Lilly was any indication, he didn't seem confused and it was too early in James' life for a crisis.

"Have your always been?Lilly?" Remus questioned cautiously. He wanted to be sensitive to the situation and really, James looked about ready to bolt in his nervousness.

"Yes but not in such explicit terms. Love is love Remus. You know for me it hasn't really mattered from who or to whom love is directed." James' gaze firmly planted on his cup finally looked up and locked on Remus' curious one. "Lilly … I loved – love Lilly with all of my heart. She was my everything and she gave me Harry. It has been sixteen years now and I'm finally letting go. It has been pointed out that she would want me to move on." A flicker of a smile passed over both Remus and James. Every adult in James' life had said exactly that at one point or another once Harry turned 10. Even Harry himself had mentioned that James never dated. No, James' love for Lilly was never in question, but it had to be asked.

Remus' eyes locked on James' and tried to decipher the emotions clambering in the returning gaze. Fear was chief among them as well as nervousness resignation and longing. Remus didn't know what to make of it all. James was nervous of course and scared of divulging this information and sure, he was resigning himself to the fact that he had now let out a big piece of himself but where did longing fit?

"James you know this changes nothing right? I'm still here for you no matter what" hope joined the other emotions now.

"I'll always be here and so will Sirius. We are your best friends and we will never abandon you." Remus watched as the hope drained out as disappointment washed over his visage. James' head bent down again and spoke to his tea.

"Yeah I know Remus. Thank you for that." He looked up quickly but looked way once again. Remus saw a hint of devastation in that quick glimpse and his internal alarm was going off. Something is wrong. That is what Remus assessed as James set the tea down and got up intent on leaving.

Remus' chances to fix whatever just happened or at least try to figure out what made his friend do a complete turn around were about to walk out the door. Remus rose, took a step toward the retreating James and called on to him.

"James please." James stopped but didn't turn around. Instead, James addressed the door in a solemn tone.

"Remus please don't tell Sirius what we spoke about. You can tell him about Sangpur even why I am doing it but the rest leave it. I'll speak with him personally later on." Before his departure, James took a shot in the dark and tried once again.

"Remus for being so intelligent and observant sometimes you can be quite thick and blind." James glanced back at a flummoxed and slightly hurt Remus as he stepped out of the house and made his way past the wards to apparate home. He had a son to confront.

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_**AN:**_ _**Where do I begin? Well an apology of course for the length of time it has taken me to update. I won't promise updates with time frames because we all know how well that worked out. Unfortunately, real life took over and here we are. I will however endeavor to try to get my muse and my RL to get along but I can't make any promises. I just came out of a harrowing semester just in time to jump into another. I usually do two semesters a year because a full time job leaves little if any time left for academics much less anything else, but I've decided to try and get as much of my schooling done and so this year I am doing three consecutive semesters. One down two to go.**_

_**An idea? Only if you guys actually want it otherwise the status quo remains. I realize that I only ever communicate with you - my readers - in AN's before or after my chapters. If you guys want me to I'll create a group/(Merlin forbid) twitter/tumblr etc. to communicate between posting. Let me know and if you guys want it I'll post the info on my bio.**_


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